Growing up Amish is difficult…but leaving it behind is even harder.
Noah was Amish...Rose wasn't. Being together should have been impossible. But somehow they found a way to make it work. They are finally a family, but their happily-ever-after is still a long off. Will Rose and her friends be able to force real change?
Karen Ann Hopkins returns with a gripping new book in the YA Temptation series. The powerful family saga continues with Rachel's Deception, as events spiral out of control in the sleepy farming community of Meadowview. And Rachel Miller has her own secrets to hide. Noah’s younger sister has been living a double life. That is, until Justin Cameron, Rose's little brother, catches her in the act. Rachel is not the obedient Amish girl that her sister was, and her rebelliousness takes her to a very dangerous world. A world that only her true friends can help her escape from.
As Rachel questions all she has been taught about love, family, and commitment, Rose discovers what it really means to be shunned. And an evil shadow looms on the horizon, threatening not only Rose, but everyone she holds dear.
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Karen Ann Hopkins resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats. Karen's main job is home schooling the kids, but she finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lived in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove her to create the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah.
Karen grew up about a mile from Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. She was bitten by the horse bug at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several years, was rewarded with her first horse when she turned eleven. The feisty horse's name was Lady, a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who became Karen's steadfast companion. Through the years, the constant force in her life was horses. Eventually, she found her place as a riding instructor herself. Before accepting her fate in the barnyard, she worked a short stint as a paralegal, traveled abroad, and guided tourists on horseback riding tours in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.
Karen is currently working on her Amish mystery series, Serenity's Plain Secrets, along with the YA paranormal/fantasy series, The Wings of War. Karen is also excited to announce the Temptation series has been optioned for TV by Pilgrim Studios and is available on Audible. More books in the Temptation series are in the works.
About Karen Ann Hopkins:
The Temptation Series is now on Audible!
Here is some exciting news for all those audiobook lovers out there: The Temptation Series is now available, so get your copy right now! Listen to a sample on audible.
What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
Thank you for having me today!
I lived in an Amish community in northern Kentucky for nearly eight years. During that time, Amish teenagers would come to my horse-back riding stable to ride in the arena and hang out with the non-Amish teens. I became intrigued with the idea of a forbidden relationship between an Amish boy and a non-Amish girl from the interactions and flirting I saw going on between the young people at my farm. Rose and Noah are fictional characters, but I wrote them from my own experiential knowledge. The, what if, really got to me.
Who is your favorite character in the book?
Wow, that’s a hard one. I can say that Noah was the most difficult to write in the series. Getting into the head of an Amish teenage boy wasn’t easy. I interviewed several teens to get it right, but it was still challenging. Rose is a bit spoiled, temperamental, and immature, but she’s also brave, loyal, and strong-willed. I love Sam. He’s opinionated and bossy, but he loves his family and will do anything to keep them together. Summer is a country girl, but her strong feminist nature shines through, making her a lot of fun to spend time with. She’s also trustworthy and kind. In this particular book, I probably enjoyed Rachel the most. She’s a very messed up, confused young lady. And those are my favorite kinds of characters. Her being Amish, is just icing on the cake.
Which came first, the title or the novel?
In this particular case, the title. I knew Rachel would be a POV and her double life led me to title, Rachel’s Deception, before I even began to write the story.
What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
There is one particular scene that I don’t want to go into details about (it would be a major spoiler!) that left me with the ultimate amount of satisfaction and closure. You’ll just have to read the book to guess which scene I’m talking about (:
Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you've learned as a writer from then to now?
To never stop trying! I had a unique idea with Temptation series. There weren’t any other Amish themed YA romances out there at the time. But I got my share of rejections early on. I didn’t let them get me down, though. Instead, I worked harder, taking the suggestions from the kind agents who shared them, and improving the manuscript until I was finally offered representation from Christina Hogrebe of the Jane Rotrosen Agency. A couple of months after that, I had two major publishing houses make offers on the Temptation series. In all, from the time I wrote the first draft of Temptation, until I had a publishing deal, took almost two years. It’s all about being persistence, and having a rhino hide.
What do you like most about the cover of the book?
The vibrancy of the colors. Next, I really like the look on the girl’s face. She’s up to something, and I want to know what it is.
What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2015?
GAIA, the sequel to my YA paranormal apocalyptic angels and demons book, Embers, will be out in August. It’s completely different than my Amish books, but oh so epic. And, I did manage to get a scene inside of an Amish community into this one for all my fans out there. I’m also really excited about the third book in my Amish mystery series, Serenity’s Plain Secrets, coming out! Secrets in the Grave will be available in October!
What was your favorite book in 2014?
Because of my writing schedule last year, I didn’t get to read very much for my own pleasure, but I did really enjoy The Hallowed Ones by my friend, Laura Bickle.
What’s up next for you?
A little break is in order. I’ve written 6 books in about a year and a half and I’ve been going on little sleep for too long. I plan to continue promoting my books throughout the summer and then begin the 5th Temptation novel, Summer’s Song, this fall.
Is there anything that you would like to add?
Thank you so much for your interest in Rachel’s Deception, the Temptation series, and my other books: Embers (YA paranormal), Lamb to the Slaughter and Whispers from the Dead (adult Amish mysteries)! I love to connect with readers and I’d be happy to answer questions about the Amish way of life. Please contact me at my website: www.karenannhopkins.com or you can message me on FB, Twitter, and Instagram.
Happy Reading,
Karen Ann Hopkins
I enjoyed the interview.
ReplyDeleteHi, Rita! I'm glad you enjoyed the interview!
Deletegreat interview and giveaway
ReplyDeletecannot wait to read this book
Hello, Bethany! Thank you for reading!
DeleteA great interview thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi, Mary! These were great questions! Thank you for stopping by (:
DeleteSo excited to read it!
ReplyDeleteHi, Aleksandra! Thank you for reading (:
DeleteLoved the interview..thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteHow did you decide to write books with the Amish theme?
ReplyDeleteThis one is going to be great!!!
ReplyDelete